


Twist and Shout

by ToTheStarsWriting



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Aline & Alec friendship, Clary's still here, Country Music, Country Swing, Dancing, Fluff, Fun, Happy Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, I gave it up, Immortal Husbands, M/M, Post-Canon, Tags Are Hard, and then wrote it, based on a prompt, because I said so, becuase why not, kind of, line dancing, malec dancing, my own prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:20:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24763003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToTheStarsWriting/pseuds/ToTheStarsWriting
Summary: Alec should’ve known that going out with everyone to Pandemonium was a bad idea. It never went well for him to be in a club, usually the only sober one in a circle of drunk friends and family. Add in that he was going to be properly introducing Magnus and Aline to one another and really, it was just asking for trouble.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 11
Kudos: 209





	Twist and Shout

**Author's Note:**

> So this was a dorky prompt I tossed at some people and then turned around and wrote myself. It's silly, and not much, but I had fun writing it. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Alec should’ve known that going out with everyone to Pandemonium was a bad idea. It never went well for him to be in a club, usually the only sober one in a circle of drunk friends and family. Add in that he was going to be properly introducing Magnus and Aline to one another and really, it was just asking for trouble.

But Aline wanted a chance to meet Magnus outside of seeing one another at the wedding, and she was only in town for a short while, and Magnus had to pop in at Pandemonium that night to do a bit of work. So, it was either go to the club and hang out there, or they'd have to wait until the next time Aline was able to break away to be able to have any kind of get-together.

If Alec were being honest with himself, he wanted the two to meet and get to know each other. Aline was family, and she had been one of his best friends outside of his siblings growing up. They still talked all the time via phone calls, texts, and emails. Being able to bring her and Magnus together sounded like it might be fun. Even if it had to be at Pandemonium.

He should’ve known better.

There was no one out there who had more stories about a young Alec than Aline did. She had all the stories that Alec's siblings didn't. Growing up, Aline had been the only one Alec could talk to about certain things who he knew would _understand_. Which meant that Aline was there to listen to his realization that he was gay, his coming out in private, his first crush, and everything like that. Just as he'd done the same for her in return. She knew all the people Alec had crushed on over the years – including the one crush that Alec wished she would forget about.

Which happened to be the one that she had to bring up. To Magnus. Right there in the VIP area of Pandemonium like it was no big deal that someone might hear her.

At least she had the decency to wait until the others were out dancing to say anything.

“You wouldn't believe how adorable he was back then,” Aline gushed, grinning widely as she reached out to pat Alec's leg.

Alec was busy trying to sink down into the couch and avoid seeing either of their faces. Not Aline's smug look or Magnus' gleeful one. “I hate you,” he grumbled at her.

She waved him off and kept on talking, the little she-devil, because for some reason she _loved_ poking at Alec and he always seemed to forget that about her. “We were both so tiny at the time, running around the Institute trying to avoid Isabelle because we were too cool to hang out with our baby siblings, and then this group comes in and Alec just _freezes_. Like, full stop, right there in the Ops Center. He almost smacked into one of the computer banks.”

A delighted laugh bubbled up from Magnus. He leaned in a bit closer to Alec, his hand in Alec's hair now that he'd sunk even lower in the couch. “I can't wait to find out what it was that held Alec's attention so closely.”

Even though he knew it wouldn't do anything, Alec looked up at her pleadingly. She had no idea what she was about to get him into. “Allie...”

He wanted to curse – roundly – when Aline flashed him the brightest grin ever and promptly sealed Alec's fate. “Raphael Santiago.”

Alec had to sneak a look up at Magnus' face for this part, even if he still wanted to melt through the floor. It was sort of worth it when he got to watch his husband actually _choke_ on his drink. Magnus' eyes went wide as he coughed to clear his throat. “I beg your pardon?”

Aline's grin grew. “Oh yeah. He was there with that Queen Bitch vamp – who, let me tell you, helped this little baby gay here discover the joy of a gorgeous woman...” Laying a hand over her chest, Aline sighed happily at the memory, and Alec wished he was surprised to find that Aline and Magnus had the same taste in women. Then Aline dropped her hand down and smirked at Alec. “But Alec here had eyes only for Raphael. He stared at him like he was seeing the sun for the first time.”

At that, Magnus spun to look at Alec, and the shadowhunter sank down even further and gave Aline his nastiest glare. “I'm going to get you for this,” he promised her lowly, pointing a threatening finger at him that had her rolling her eyes and blowing him a kiss.

None of that distracted Magnus, though. He was grinning at Alec with so much _delight_ on his face. “Alexander! Why haven't you ever shared this with me?”

“Because you're just as terrible as Aline is and I'm never going to live this down,” Alec answered promptly.

It didn't bode well for him when Magnus cackled, even if he was trying to smother it and pretend to be upset. Something which he was failing utterly at. “I don't know, darling, this seems like pretty important information. Something I definitely should've known before we were married. I mean, you had your very first crush on my _son_.”

A loud gasping snort came from Aline's direction. When Alec snuck a look at her, her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open.

Magnus ignored her completely. He'd pulled his hand back from Alec to lay it on his chest, affecting the most put-upon look that he could. “Has this all been some ploy to get close to Raphael? Have you seduced me simply to get closer to my son?”

 _By the angel,_ Alec had married one of the most dramatic beings on the face of the planet.

Alec rolled his eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn't get stuck. He shot a look up at Magnus that probably wasn't as much of a glare as he wanted it to be. “You caught me,” Alec said in his driest tone. “Our whole relationship has been one giant plot so I could finally get a date with Raphael. Sorry, babe.”

He was rewarded with a soft chuckle and that wide, eye-crinkling grin that he loved seeing so much on his husband. “Well as much as I love him, I'm afraid Raphael's going to have to be disappointed. Your plan might've worked if you hadn't married me.” Magnus bent down and pressed a kiss to the tip of Alec's nose, laughing lightly when Alec wrinkled it in response. “You're quite stuck with me now, my love.”

The man might be a dramatic dork sometimes, but he was _Alec's_ dramatic dork, and he wouldn’t trade him for anything. Shaking his head, Alec let his own lips curl a little. “I guess I could be stuck with worse.”

This time Alec couldn't help but laugh at the mock scowl that Magnus gave. A laugh that was quickly cut off when Magnus bent down and stole a real kiss. One that Alec quickly lost himself in, his embarrassment momentarily forgotten. Along with everyone and everything else.

Their moment was broken up by the return of the others. Or, more specifically, by Jace. He dropped down onto the couch next to Magnus, bouncing the two and breaking their kiss. When he dragged Clary down with him, she rolled her eyes and shot an apologetic look Alec's way.

Isabelle and Simon at least sat down like normal people on the other open couch.

“You guys are gross,” Jace announced happily, grinning in that loose, easy way he got when he'd had a few drinks. It was nice to see it without the stress lines that had been there so often lately. Now that everything was done and the war was over, Jace was happier than Alec had ever felt him.

Magnus, far too used to Jace to be seriously bothered by him, just rolled his eyes and flicked a hand, using magic to shove Jace toward the corner of the couch away from him. “Keep your sweaty self far over there, shadowhunter. I don't need that all over me.”

Laughter traveled around the group, and Alec knew, he just knew that whoever opened their mouth next was going to say something dirty. He was proved right just seconds later as Isabelle gleefully called out “I bet you'd like something _else_ all over you.”

“By the angel, Izzy!” Alec snapped at her, blushing all over again.

Aline, the traitor, cackled. “Take it easy on him, guys. He's already been blushing enough. I've been over here sharing baby-Alec stories.”

“Oh my god, and we missed it?” Simon exclaimed.

Snorting, Jace slumped back into the corner of the couch, tugging on Clary to better situate her in his lap. “We've all got plenty of those. Dancing was more fun.” He reached out and grabbed his leftover drink on the table, downing it before he set it back down and suddenly flashed a smile that had Alec very, very worried. “I'm surprised you two aren't out there, actually. Usually all it takes is a few drinks and you guys are out on the dance floor.”

Isabelle started laughing while both Alec _and_ Aline started to blush.

Magnus looked around from face to face, looking amused though it was clear he knew he was missing something. “You're still talking about _my_ Alexander, correct?” he asked, pointing Alec's way. “The one who absolutely refuses to get out on the dance floor with me no matter how many drinks he's had?”

“Raziel, I forgot!” Isabelle exclaimed. She sat up, her whole face lit up with a look of slowly growing joy. “You've never seen it!”

Oh, angel, _no_. This was going to go so bad. So, so, bad. Alec and Aline were both sitting up in their seats now, and they spoke at the same time, calling out Isabelle's name in warning.

They should've been paying more attention to Jace. He had no problems throwing either one of them under the bus. Years of the two ganging up on him to prank him had left Jace quite happy to do anything to get one over on the two. Which meant that now he gleefully grinned and told Magnus “Oh yeah. Aline and Alec went through this phase a while back and learned a few dance moves. Of course, they're not typically the type you'd see in _your_ club, so I guess it's understandable why you wouldn’t have seen it before.”

“I swear, I’m going to get you for this,” Alec warned his parabatai. He made as if to push up toward him, ready to tackle him if need be, only for Magnus to tug him backward.

“You know, I think I'm feeling up for a change in music tonight,” Magnus said, not even bothering to try and sound casual. He held Alec back and grinned over at Jace. “What do you think, Jace? Should we put something new on?”

While those two grinned, Alec and Aline shot one another a look. “We're not gonna get out of this, are we?” Aline asked, sighing.

Alec shook his head. “No.” If they didn't give in tonight, Magnus was just going to pester Alec until he gave in on a different night. Better that Aline was here to suffer with him if Alec was going to have to do this.

The two reached out at the same time and grabbed their drinks off the table. In one smooth moved they'd both downed them like a shot. Aline used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth before setting her glass down, and Alec practically tossed his onto the table. Then they pushed up to their feet.

“You're going to owe us for this,” Aline said, pointing from Isabelle to Jace, and then even over to Magnus.

Alec stood beside her, nodding his head at his husband. “ _So much_.”

“I promise I’ll make it up to you,” Magnus swore, his expression softening a little. He knew Alec well enough to know that he wasn't truly upset, and that this wasn't something Alec wouldn't do if he didn't want to.

Neither Jace nor Isabelle looked bothered. In fact, Jace was already pushing up and heading toward the DJ booth. He got up there quick enough, and Alec could see as he leaned in and said a few things to the Seelie that was running things. A quick look over at them, and a grin that Alec could see from across the room, and the guy was nodding, already reaching out to end the current song and put the new one on.

It only took a second for the current song to end and a new one to come on. The song Jace had picked was an easy one, and Alec almost wanted to laugh when he saw the club patrons start looking around in surprised amusement as the first few chords began to play.

Ignoring the others and holding out his hand, Alec turned to look at Aline. “Ready?”

Aline flashed him a bright grin. “Ready when you are, Scooter.”

The old nickname had Alec rolling his eyes. Yet he was still smiling as the two of them made their way out to the middle of the floor.

Once, Alec wouldn't have dared to go out in the middle of a club like this and dance. Despite what Isabelle and Jace had suggested up there, Alec and Aline didn’t typically do this in public. They did it when they all got together and were drinking and Isabelle would put music on. There was a spot on the Institute roof where the four of them had gone a few times to sit and drink and act like the teenagers they all really were. There, they hadn't risked embarrassing themselves in front of anyone other than family. Here it was an entirely different story.

But they were older now, the two of them a whole lot more secure in who they were. Neither felt the need to be the perfect little soldier anymore. They were free to be themselves. More than that, Alec knew that Magnus would never let anything happen to them because of this. Magnus would cause a lot of trouble for anyone who dared to use anything Alec did in the club against him. He'd said that plenty of times when trying to coax Alec out for a dance. He was never going to let anyone use it against Alec if he let go a little in here. This was a safe space for everyone.

Alec kept that in mind as he and Aline finally reached the middle of the floor. The loud sounds of Brooks and Dunn were playing through the room, and the first few words of ‘Boot Scootin' Boogie’ were beginning to play. Alec and Aline grinned at each other while they stood side by side. Then, as easy as breathing, they stuck out their right foot and began to tap to the beat, a countdown that only they knew, before they slipped into the moves that they'd painstakingly learned together.

It'd been years since Alec had line danced with his friend. He'd forgotten what fun it could be to fall into the familiar pattern of it with Aline. The easy way they moved with each other. Together, they tapped their feet, rolled their hips, twisted and turned, moving through one of their more favorite variations.

Most of the people in the club had stopped to watch them. Alec tried to ignore it and grinned at Aline as they briefly linked arms, twirling around one another and switching spots before diving right back in.

On their next turn, Alec saw a few people had stepped out of the crowd and joined them, trying to mimic the moves. One or two looked like they actually knew what they were doing. A few others didn't seem to have any idea but were having a hell of a time trying.

It didn't surprise him to see Isabelle joining in, or Jace after her. But it was a pleasant surprise to twist and switch with Aline again only to find Magnus had joined as well.

Alec let out a low laugh as he watched his husband mimic his moves. It was clear that line dancing wasn't his thing, but dancing in general was, and Magnus was a fast learner.

They danced as a group, laughing together and flowing from move to move, a whole section of the club stomping and twirling and clapping their hands.

When the song ended, there was quite a lot of clapping, and Alec couldn't help but grin. He shot Aline a look, winking at her when he caught her grinning. Then, taking a breath and committing himself to it, he looked at Magnus and back at her, one eyebrow going up. She seemed to know exactly what that look meant and gave him a quick salute before darting over to the DJ booth.

Magnus met Alec's grin with an arched eyebrow, clearly having caught something in that exchanged. Chuckling, Alec held out his hand, his other one folding behind his back. “May I have this dance?”

The room had briefly gone silent as the DJ switched from the last song to the one that Aline had requested. It felt like everyone was watching Alec and Magnus, waiting to see what was going to happen next. They'd even backed up, opening up space, though Alec could hear Jace encouraging people further back. His parabatai knew what he was about to do.

A slow, easy grin was spreading over Magnus' features, wide and carefree in that way that Alec so loved to see. It was worth any sense of embarrassment to be able to put that look on Magnus' face.

“Of course,” he said easily, reaching out to take Alec's hand in his and letting Alec pull him in close. Their bodies pressed in against one another, and Magnus tilted his head up, his expression full of love. “You are explaining this to me later, darling.”

Alec smiled back at him. “I hope you don't mind if I lead.”

“I'm always happy to follow where you lead.”

Blush colored Alec's cheeks at the same time that he shook his head. “That was terrible.”

“You love it,” Magnus said smugly.

Any reply Alec would've given was cut off by the sudden swell of music. Alec could see the way that Magnus tuned in, how his eyes went distant for a moment, and then as they widened a little as soon as he connected what was playing and why. He focused back on Alec a whole lot more intently. “Oh, you are definitely explaining this. And you're very lucky I know how to both lead and follow in some variations of this.”

Alec winked, and then drew his arms into the starting position, bringing their bodies close together. He gave a soft count for their ears alone, and then began to move his feet into the first steps of what he’d been once told was a _country swing dance_.

If Alec had doubted Magnus' claim, and his ability to adapt to just about any dance, he was quickly proved wrong. His husband easily followed Alec the same way he always did, and Alec had no problem adjusting to moving with Magnus instead of Aline in his arms. They lived together, shared a home, a life, a bed, and they'd fought and trained together. It made sense that they could dance together.

The sound of swing music swelled in the air of the club. There were no words that Alec could hear, just a beat he swore he could feel pulsing in his chest. He started out slow, following the beat in the air, and sent his feet through the moves he'd worked hard to learn. Magnus met him step for step, grinning the whole time as he let Alec take the lead and get them going.

There was nothing in the world that Alec could compare to how it felt to twist and spin across the floor with his husband. As the music picked up, so did he and Magnus, their feet going faster and faster and their spins picking up speed.

Alec tugged Magnus in, twirling him as he went until he caught him with his arm around his waist, lifting him up. Magnus followed it easily, jumping up to let Alec catch his legs, twisting and flipping him through a graceful turn. When Magnus landed easily on his feet, he grinned at Alec and jumped right back in, adding his own little flair as he went.

It was _exhilarating_. This was the feeling that Magnus had wanted with Alec, and that Alec hadn’t known was possible. Dancing with Aline had been fun. Dancing with Magnus was _amazing._

Alec found his own grin growing with each step. The rest of the room faded away until it was just the two of them and steadily increasing beat that wrapped around them and took them over. Every move Alec tried, Magnus met him without pause, trusting in Alec to twist, twirl, dip, and flip him, never once faltering. Sweat dripped down Alec's body and his muscles burned in that pleasant way he'd always felt after a good fight or great sex.

When the music finally reached a crescendo, rising up and then crashing down, they went with it, slowing their bodies through it until they ended up in a perfect dip right as the last few notes echoed around them.

Alec couldn't stop smiling down at Magnus, who lay so trustingly in Alec's arms, body bent backward and his own face shining with a fine sheen of sweat. He looked blissfully happy. The only thing Alec could do was bend down even further so he could seal his lips over his husband's.

They broke apart to the sounds of cheers and screams echoing all through the club. Alec straightened them back up, giving Magnus one last spin to bring him around to his side, and then Magnus drew them both into a bow. Alec's cheeks ached from how much he was grinning.

Even as people kept clapping, Magnus gave Alec's hand a tug and pulled him off the floor. He took them through the crowd, heading once more for the VIP section, with the rest of their friends following along behind them.

The two ended up on the couch together like they had been before all this started. Magnus snapped up bottles of water for the both of them as well as some hand towels. Alec didn't hesitate to take one of the towels and wipe down his face and neck, and Magnus did the same.

Isabelle came in right behind them, her hand in Simon's, and Simon was already rambling before he'd even gotten close. “That was amazing, you guys! You were like – wow! I didn't know you could dance like that, Alec!”

“Oh, Alec's a great dance partner,” Aline said. She walked past Alec, brushing her fingers over his arm as she went and sharing a private smile with him. She sank back down into the chair she'd been using before, a fresh drink in her hand.

Clary and Jace came in last, and Clary beamed at them. “You two really were awesome,” she complimented them.

Jace grinned, clapping a hand on Alec's arm and then grimacing when it came away sweaty. Because he was disgusting, he wiped his hand on his pants and moved on, going to take his corner seat again with Clary.

“I'd forgotten how good at that you are,” Jace complimented him. There was no sign of teasing in his voice this time around. He really meant his words.

Magnus, who was busy wiping at the back of his neck, shot everyone a chiding look. “So _both_ of you knew my husband was capable of dancing and you never felt the need to share?”

“To be fair, I mostly forget about it,” Isabelle defended herself. “He only ever does it with Aline, and we’re usually all drunk.”

Aline curled her legs up in her seat, turning her body so that she was facing more toward the couch. It was to Magnus that she directed her next words, giving him the story behind why they both knew how to dance. “When we were about, oh, ten or eleven, there was this girl I really, really liked, and she was into country music. My Mom was going to attend this fancy dance party in Idris for something or other, I don't remember what it was.”

“Someone's promotion,” Alec chimed in. He set his towel down on the table and reached for his water. He'd forgotten how exhausting that kind of dancing was.

His words had Aline nodded. “Yeah, something like that. So, I figured if I wanted to impress her, I should totally learn some country music dances for the party. We only had a couple months, so I decided to learn every country dance I could in that time. And since Alec was staying with us for the summer for some training, I made him learn with me.”

The memory made Alec chuckle. Aline had come to him, hands on her hips, and demanded that he come and be her dance partner. “It didn't matter how much I told her I couldn't dance, she insisted I could.”

“We were terrible at it,” Aline confided, laughing. “We were trying to use books and movies to learn, and we were failing horribly. Then Mom caught us at it one day.”

Alec slumped back in his seat, shaking his head as he remembered the look on Jia's face when she caught them attempting a dance together.

Alec slumped back in his seat, shaking his head as he remembered the look on Jia's face when she caught them attempting a dance together. She’d taken one look at them and laughed so hard she'd had to clutch the wall to keep from falling down.

“She found us a teacher,” Aline went on. “Just so long as we promised to still learn the usual stuff like the waltz and such that most shadowhunters are supposed to know. We worked our asses off for months to be able to learn every kind of country dancing we could.”

“It took a bit, but our instructor realized that we did better with the dances we could treat like training,” Alec said. He knew he was going to get teased for that part of things, but he didn't mind. Not when Magnus was watching him so happily and so intent, soaking up this knowledge of Alec's past like it was the greatest thing he'd ever heard. Maybe, in a way, it was. Very rarely did Magnus get to hear positive things about Alec's childhood.

Aline nodded at Alec's words. “Once they realized that, everything went so much smoother. Neither Alec nor are I that graceful when it comes to things like dancing, but we know how to fight. We've been doing that for a long time.”

“I can't believe I didn't think of that,” Magnus said, eyebrows up and eyes wide. He turned to study Alec with a whole new light, narrowing his eyes down as they ran over Alec's body and then back up to his face. His glamour was gone, and his eyes were twinkling with love and amusement. “I always wondered why you had so much grace out on the field, but on the dancefloor...”

“I'm like a baby giraffe?” Alec finished dryly.

The others laughed, and Magnus leaned in to kiss him, both their smiles almost too big to manage a proper kiss. When they pulled apart, Magnus kept them close, his nose brushing against Alec's. “I hope you know I'm going to drag you out on the dance floor at least once a month after this. I think I might start running theme nights at Pandemonium.”

Alec smiled and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” He didn't bother arguing, though. What was the point? They both knew Magnus would win. Besides, it wasn't like it was a hardship. Dancing like that with Magnus had been _fun_.

Alec smiled to himself as Magnus sat back and joined in the conversation again, cheekily asking Aline, “Now for the most important part of the story – the girl, was she impressed?”

Laughing, Aline shook her head, her grin growing even more. “Unfortunately, no. But the wags in Idris spent the next three years convinced Alec and I would make an _amazing_ couple.”

Everyone started laughing at that, and an easy, gentle teasing went around the group as they all shared stories of the times people had tried to push Alec and Aline together, with Magnus adding his own laughter in here and there. His arm had ended up on the back of the couch again and his fingers were in Alec's hair, toying loosely with the few curled bits back there. Alec didn't bother contributing. He was content to sit there and smile and watch his friends and family talking and laughing and enjoying themselves, just as they should.

Coming out tonight had been the _best_ idea.


End file.
